Over the last few months I’ve been doing a lot of searches (so obviously it means working with a lot of hiring managers) and managing a team of recruiters. We were working on a multi-position recruiting project for mid level managers for a large entertainment company. So it was a great learning lab for refining and testing techniques for creating trusted advisor relationships with hiring managers—none of whom did we ever meet in person.

I have no doubt you can give candidates compelling messages about what makes your position exciting, good for their career, etc.

So why would I want you to ask your hiring managers why they think their position is a great opportunity? For these reasons:

It’s important for you to know how your hiring managers are “marketing/selling” their positions when they are talking to candidates. When you ask them this question, you may be appalled at how poorly they describe what's great…